Golf Putter

ABSTRACT

A golf putter comprising a putter head that has a flat ball-striking surface that is perpendicular to an enlarged planar sole plate forming the bottom surface, an elongated shaft that is inclined from lower to upper end towards a golfer, which will therefore require the golfer to stand in a more upright position and farther away from the ball, keeping his/her eyes on the desired path of the ball. Also, the ball-striking surface is greater than the radius of the golf ball but less than the diameter of the golf ball.

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to golf putters and, moreparticularly, to a golf putter having in combination a flat ballstriking surface that is greater than the radius of a golf ball, anenlarged planar sole plate, an elongated shaft is inclined at an anglefrom lower end to upper end towards a player.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

It is an accepted fact that in the game of golf, putting the ball on thegreen requires a short, more controllable stroke or swing than othergolf shots. A shorter more controlled swing helps to ensure moreaccuracy and controlled contact with the ball, which in turn increasesthe accuracy of the shot and decreases the likelihood of a missed hit.It is also true that putting is one of the single most important aspectsof the game, and that missed puts can add significantly to a player'sscore. Furthermore, a perfect put is substantially a bounce-free shot.Approximately 60% of all shots made during a game of golf occur on thegreen. Accordingly, improvements in a player's putting game can be asignificant part of lowering a player's overall score.

Much is written on the subject and many different types of putters havebeen designed with the aim of assisting golfers to better achieve thatconfident feel for the golf swing and especially the putting stroke. Inorder to reduce the number of strokes taken on the green, golfers aretaught that the putting stroke should be smooth, rhythmic and fluid. Theface of the putter should be square to the intended line of the targetwhen the putter strikes the ball. The golf ball is to be struck solidly,but smoothly, making contact with the ball-striking surface of theputter head.

There are many types of golf putters on the market, including, forexample, blade styled, mallet head and flanged head putters. Blade styleputters provide a golfer with a feel for the ball contacting the putterhead, as in an inelastic reaction where two bodies having approximatelythe same mass collide with each other. On the other hand, mallet styledputters provide the golfer with a pendulum swing. These putters, amongothers, have all been designed to provide an improved feel and assistgolfers avoid common problems with putting. Examples of such problemsare: aligning the golf club at a correct angle with the ball and thehole, turning and/or rotating the putter head and the body of the golferduring a swing, and yips. Yips refer to involuntary motions of the handor wrist that can make effective putting all but impossible.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,528 issued on Feb. 2, 1998 to Tsao for “GolfPutters” is directed to a weighted flat surface attachable sole plate.This weighted flat sole plate could, however, provide a false perceptionwhere part of the sole plate was resting on the putting surface whileanother part was not. This false perception would cause the golfer tomisperceive level contact of the putter head with the putting surface,when it was not so.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,997 issued on Aug. 3, 2004 to Ruiz for “Golf PutterHead” is directed to a putter head that is designed such that there is aminimum of the bottom of the putter head that comes into contact withthe surface of the green. The disadvantage of this putter head is thatonly a portion of the bottom of the putter head comes into contact withthe ground, therefore, when the golf ball is struck, the putter head caneasily rotate and the golf ball, upon impact, becomes air-borne and assuch the shot is not straight.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,827 issued in Aug. 14, 2001 to Hockerson et al. for“Golf Putter Head” is directed to a putter head having a front platethat carries a ball-striking pad. The ball-striking pad is made of afibrous material that has a predetermined resiliency which is sufficientto absorb impact forces when striking a golf ball. The disadvantage ofthis golf putter is that the putter head and the ball-striking pad areboth smaller in height than the radius of a golf ball and as such do nothug the ball at impact without elevation and as such the shot will notresult in the golf ball having a perfect roll.

U.S. patent application 2004/0038746 published on Feb. 26, 2004 to Wahlet al. for “Golf Putter Head” is directed to an elongated golf putterhead having both a front insert and a rear insert. Similarly to U.S.Pat. No. 6,273,827, the ball-striking surface is less than the radius ofa golf ball and, as such, may not hug the ball at impact withoutelevation and, as such, the shot will not result in the golf ball havinga perfect roll.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,002 issued on Apr. 20, 2004 to Barlow for “Golfputter with Offset Shaft” is directed to a golf putter with an offsetshaft. The shaft enters the top surface of the body of the putter headand is bent towards the top surface at a distance above the top surface.The disadvantage of this golf putter is that since the shaft extendsfrom the top surface of the putter, the golf player must have his eyeover the ball as opposed to standing taller and seeing more of the greenand the hole. In addition, the ball-striking surface is smaller than theradius of a golf ball and as such does not hug the ball at impactwithout elevation and as such the shot will not result in the golf ballhaving a perfect roll. Furthermore, this golf putter may beaesthetically displeasing to some golfers.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,246 issued on Aug. 18, 1998, to Hale for “GolfPutter” is directed to a golf putter with a flat generally ellipticalshaped striking surface with a shaft that is connected at the back ofthe putting surface. The disadvantage of this golf putter, like U.S.Pat. No. 6,769,997 to Ruiz is that since the bottom surface of theputter does not rest completely on the ground, the golf ball upon impactwith the striking surface becomes air-borne. In addition, the putterbottom does not slide on the green and therefore the golf ball willbounce.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,784 issued on Nov. 11, 1997 to Butler for “Golf ClubPutter Head” is directed to a golf putter head having an enlarged,substantially planar convex sole plate and a narrow bridge-lip topmember which lowers the center of gravity of the putter head. The shaftis connected to the hosel, which is located along the putter head'scenterline. As with the other golf putter heads and golf putters, thisgolf putter head has a short shaft which results in the golf playerstanding over the sole plate with their eye on the golf ball as opposedto standing tall and farther away from the ball and seeing the more ofthe green and hole.

Accordingly, many of the prior art golf putter heads, in attempting tosolve alignment, slide and other putting problems are convoluted indesign and construction, ineffective and aesthetically displeasing. Inaddition, the ball striking surfaces in prior art of golf putters aresmaller than the radius of a golf ball.

Therefore, there is a need for a golf putter that promotes the slidingeffect of the putter on the surface of the ground and a putter that hugsa golf ball with zero or minimum elevation at impact therefore promotinga substantially bounce-free roll of the golf ball towards the hole.

The putter of the present invention also allows for a third eye view.With prior art putters, the golf putter, the golfer, putter club, golfball and hole are all substantially in the same vertical plane, whichalso defines the approximate line between the ball and the hole. Aswell, the golfer's back and shoulder are generally stooped with the headand eyes generally over the ball. A person who is with the golfergenerally can tell the golfer if the golf ball and hole are properlylined up for the shot or not, but observing from some steps back fromthe line between the ball and the hole as such a person will generallybe better able to observe if the stance of the golfer has properly linedup the shot with the hole. Since the shaft of the present golf putter iselongated and angled towards the golfer, the golfer is required to takea stance, with back straightened and shoulders, head and eyes higher ascompared to the usual stance with a prior art putter and generally notin a position over the ball. The golfer stands farther away from theball, and not over it. Therefore, by using the golf putter of thepresent invention, the golfer and hole are substantially in firstvertical plane and the putter club, golf ball and hole are substantiallyin a second vertical plane. The first plane and the second planeintersect at the hole. The stance of the golfer with the putter of thepresent invention allows the accompanying person to observe and provideguidance to a golfer and assist him/her in properly lining up his/hershot with the hole.

The golf putter of the present invention also comprises of an enlargedplanar sole plate with the tendency to better glide on the surface ofthe ground, to help golf players overcome nervousness that most golfersface, which is commonly referred to as yips. Furthermore, theball-striking surface of the putter is generally perpendicular to theenlarged planar sole plate of the putter and the ball-striking surfaceis greater than the radius of the golf ball, to allow for a morecontrolled, stable shot

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a golf putterhaving a putter head that has a flat ball-striking surface that isgenerally perpendicular to an enlarged, generally planar sole plateforming the bottom surface of the putter head. The putter head isconnected to a first, generally lower end of an elongated shaft. Theelongated shaft has an upper gripping end located at a second, generallyupper end. The elongated shaft is inclined from the lower to upper endtowards the player, and will therefore require the player to take astance and stand father away from the ball and will result in moreweight on the planar bottom surface of the putter head. The combinationof the shape of the putter head, elongated shaft and enlarged generallyplanar sole plate forming the bottom surface of the putter head allowsthe putter head to glide on the surface of the ground instead of thetraditional airborne putting stroke. The gliding of the putter head onthe surface permits a straighter put and helps stabilize the putterhead. In addition, by having an elongated shaft, the golfer is requiredto stand farther away from the ball in a more upright position and thusalleviating back problems, which often result from being bent over theball. Furthermore, the elongated and inclined shaft permits the golferto stand farther away from the ball and see more of the fairway or greenand accordingly the golfer can better align his/her shot with the hole.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provideda golf putter with a putter head that has a flat ball-striking surfacethat is perpendicular to an enlarged planar sole plate with an elongatedshaft which is inclined from the lower to the upper end at an angletowards the golfer, which will require the golfer to stand in a moreupright position and farther away from the ball which will result inmore weight being placed on the bottom enlarged planar sole plate of theputter head.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there isprovided a golf putter with a putter head that has a flat ball-strikingsurface that is perpendicular to an enlarged planar sole plate with anelongated shaft which is inclined from the lower to the upper end at anangle towards the golfer, which will require the golfer to stand in amore natural upright position, thus alleviating common back problemsresulting from being bent over the ball when using the conventional golfputter found in the prior art.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention is a head fora golf putter, the head having a body, a heal portion, a toe portion, apair of sides, a back face, a top face, a hosel and an enlarged soleplate forming a bottom surface and a flat ball-striking surface adaptedto strike a golf ball. The ball-striking surface extends generallyperpendicular between the enlarged sole plate and top portion of thebody of the putter head. The ball-striking surface being generallygreater than the radius of the golf ball but less than the diameter ofthe golf ball.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isprovided a golf putter with a putter head that has a flat ball-strikingsurface that is perpendicular to an enlarged planar sole plate with anelongated shaft which is inclined from the lower to the upper end at anangle towards the golfer, said flat ball-striking surface being greaterthan the radius of the golf ball but less than the diameter of the golfball that it comes into contact with such that when the putter headstrikes the golf ball, it hugs and glides on the ground withsubstantially 0 degree elevation at impact.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention is thereprovided a golf putter that provides a golfer with a third eye view ofthe green or fairway when setting up a shot.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isprovided a golf putter that helps a golfer address the problem of yips.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example and notintended to limit the present invention solely thereto, is bestunderstood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which

FIG. 1, is a left side view of a golfer using the golf putter inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2, is a right side view of a golfer using the golf putter inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a first perspective front view of the golf putter inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a second perspective front view of the golf putter inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a close up perspective back view of the golf putter inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the golf putter in accordance with thepreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the golf putter in accordance with thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the golf putter in accordance with the preferredembodiment of the present invention

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown a golf putter (10) comprisinga putter head (12), an elongated shaft (14) and a grip (16). The putterhead (12) comprises a body (18) and a flat ball-striking surface (20).The putter head is connected to a first, generally lower end (11) of anelongated shaft (14) having an upper grip end (17) located at a second,generally upper end (13). The body (18) comprises a heel portion (22), atoe portion (24), an enlarged planar sole plate forming a bottom surface(26), a back face (23) (shown in FIG. 5), a top portion (28), along witha pair of side faces (21). As shown in FIG. 5, the back face (23) of theputter body (18) is rounded. However, the back face (23) may have avariety of profiles and remain within the scope of the presentinvention. The same is true for the side faces (21) that can have avariety of different configurations and still be consistent with thepresent invention.

The flat ball-striking surface (20) of the head (12) of the putter isgenerally perpendicular to the enlarged generally planar sole plateforming the bottom surface (26) of the putter (10). Preferably, the body(18) of the head (12) is made of lightweight material such as aluminum,titanium or carbon fiber, and various composites and combinationsthereof. This will ensure that the body (18) can have increaseddimensions. In a preferred embodiment, the top portion (28) of the body(18) is approximately five (5) inches deep from the toe portion (24) tothe lower end (11) of the elongated shaft (14) and the enlarged planarsole plate (26) is approximately four (4) inches deep from the flat-ballstriking surface (20) to the back face (23) of the putter head (12).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the elongated shaft (14) is connected to theputter head (12) at the first, generally lower end (11) of the body (18)at an angle by a hosel (15). The angle of the elongated shaft (14) willbe inclined from lower (11) to upper (13) end towards the golf player(50) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Preferably, the angle of the shaft (14).will be between about 30 degrees at least, to about 65 degrees, towardsthe golf player (50), but preferably at about 50 to about 55 degrees,and more preferably between at about 45 to about 47 degrees towards thegolf player (50). The length of the elongated shaft (14) is longer thanconventional shafts and can be customized depending on the height of thegolf player (50), it being understood that the shaft must besufficiently long so that the golfer does not stand over the golf ball.The length and inclination of the shaft (14) towards the golfer (50) issuch that the golf player (50) is required to stand in a more uprightposition and farther away from the golf ball which results in moreweight being placed on the enlarged sole plate forming the bottom ofsurface (26) of the golf putter (10). This also ensures that the golfer(50) is looking in the direction of the fairway or green and towards thehole and not at the golf ball. Preferably, the elongated shaft (14) ismade of graphite to keep the weight of the elongated shaft (14) down.

The flat ball-striking surface (20) of the head (12) of the putter (10)is generally perpendicular to the enlarged planar sole forming thebottom portion (26) of the putter head (12) and generally slightlygreater than the radius of the golf ball but less than the diameter ofthe golf ball. As shown on FIG. 6, the height HI of the flat ballstriking surface (20) is at least two and a quarter inches (2¼″), butpreferably between at least one-third of inch (⅓″) and one inch (1″)greater than the radius of the golf ball, but preferably at leastone-half inch (½″) greater than the radius of the golf ball to be hit.The ball-striking surface may be of any shape such as rectangular,oblong, elliptical, oval and the like so long as the surface and heightis greater than the radius but less than the diameter of the ball.

The enlarged planar bottom portion (26) of the body (18) with slightlyrounded sides of the putter head (12) is generally parallel to theground. Therefore, the golf putter (10) can slide and glide on theground. The enlarged planar bottom portion (26) of the body (10) of theputter head (12) assists golf players in hitting the golf ball with amore stable, substantially bounce-free roll towards the hole. Inaddition, the lift of the golf ball will be substantially reduced andcloser to or at 0 degrees, to promote a substantially bounce-free roll.

In setting up for a shot, the golfer (50) will look out onto the fairwayor green in the direction of the desired ball trajectory towards thehole, grip the gripping end (16) of the shaft (14) and strike the golfball with the flat-ball striking surface (20), the enlarged planarbottom (26) of the putter body (18) gliding and sliding on the ground,which along with the enlarged ball-striking surface results in a morestable, more controlled, generally bounce-free roll of the golf balltoward the hole.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typicalpreferred embodiments of the invention and although specific terms areemployed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forthin the following claims.

1. A golf putter comprising: a putter head having a body, said bodyhaving a heel portion, a toe portion, an enlarged planar sole plateforming a bottom surface, a hosel, a pair of sides, a back face and atop portion; a flat-ball striking surface adapted to strike a golf ball,said flat ball striking surface extending perpendicular between theenlarged planar sole plate and top portion of the body and being greaterthan the radius but less than the diameter of the golf ball to be hit;and an elongated extending shaft having a first, generally lower end andan upper grip end located at a second, generally upper end, said putterhead being connected by the hosel at an angle to the lower end of theelongated shaft, such that the elongated shaft is inclined from lower toupper end towards a golfer, requiring the golfer to stand father awayfrom the golf ball.
 2. The golf putter of claim 1, wherein the elongatedshaft is bent at an angle of about at least 30° to about at least 65°towards the golf player.
 3. The golf putter of claim 2, wherein theelongated shaft is bent at an angle of about at least 50° to about atleast 55° towards the golf player.
 4. The golf putter of claim 3,wherein the elongated shaft is bent at about at least 45° to about 47°towards the golf player.
 5. The golf putter of claim 1, wherein theball-striking surface is at least about two and a quarter inches (2¼″)tall.
 6. The golf putter of claim 4, wherein the ball-striking surfaceis from about at least a third of an inch (⅓) to about at least one inch(1″) greater than the radius but less than the diameter of the golfball.
 7. The golf putter of claim 6, wherein the ball-striking surfaceis about one-half inch (½″) greater than the radius of the golf ball. 8.A head for a golf putter, said head having a body, said body having aheel portion, a toe portion, a pair of sides., a back face, a top face,a hosel and an enlarged sole plate forming a bottom surface; and a flatball-striking surface adapted to strike a golf ball, said ball-strikingsurface extending perpendicular between the enlarged sole plate and topportion of the body and being greater than the radius but less than thediameter of the golf ball to be hit.
 9. The head for a golf putter ofclaim 8, wherein the ball-striking surface is at least from about onethird of an inch (⅓″) to about at least one inch (1″) greater than theradius of the golf ball.
 10. The head for a golf putter of claim 9,wherein the ball-striking surface is about one-half inch (½″) greaterthan the radius of the golf ball.